


Slash and Burn

by pedalprince



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 15:59:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16098968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pedalprince/pseuds/pedalprince
Summary: Lance gets kidnapped have fun good luck - CONTAINS S7 SPOILERS





	Slash and Burn

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written properly for this fandom and this also took me months, I might as well throw it into the hellfire, hope you like it!
> 
> Shameless plugs:  
> Cosplay Instagram - seigenss  
> Tumblr - solarkeith
> 
> P.S. I started this before Lotor was actually introduced, so I made up his personality oops, also similar ideas have been floating around art wise I promise I wasn't intentionally copying anyone ;v;

_"Don't. Take them."_  
  
Lance's voice sounded like it was shot through with anxiety, shaking as if the Earth was moving beneath him. He couldn't see a thing. The visibility was so low that dust made opening his eyes really, really painful.

_He couldn't possibly be this crazy._

He wasn't good enough to be pulling this kind of stuff off. What was he thinking? Who was he to... what was he--  
  
But...but then...  
  
Lance turned and saw Pidge and Hunk, bruised and bleeding in all a manner of places. They limply crouched behind him and hardly looked like they were in any place to move, let alone fight this crazy empire general. And since the blue paladin had no idea where Keith or Shiro were to help or talk him out of it, he found himself saying it anyway.

 _I know what I have to protect._  
  
"You heard me." Lance spat, his own lie almost making him barf. But he attempted to keep himself as composed as possible, lowering his weapon and looking the general in the eye coldly. "I'm the one with Galra blood."  
  
The general looked up and down at Lance, his gaze condescending and almost sadistic. He had his hand on his chin, as if he was amused at the idea of trying to figure out the truth. But to the paladins' surprise, he eventually nodded instead.  
  
"Well, well. How bold. If so, then I have my answer.”  
  
Pidge and Hunk surely screamed as soon as the general walked away with Lance in tow, but all he himself could hear was the blood rushing in his ears, and the sound of a ship landing nearby. As the dust cleared, all the two he was leaving behind saw was a sorrowful smile... and he was gone.  
  
-  
  
Returning to consciousness, there was nothing at first but the feeling of ice shooting through Lance's veins.

Where _was_ he?  
  
But before any more processing could happen, he felt a hand hit him like a bolt of lightning. It was merciless, blood dripping from the hand of the actor. Still, nothing existed in Lance's ears but a dull, awful roar that blocked out any chances of controlling his senses. In a flood of panic he tried to rip out of his ties, but instead felt a searing cold burn. Lance felt his body immediately go limp.  
  
"You're quite good at hiding it, if you ask me," a voice rung out. "Maybe you're, oh, I don't know, trying to be difficult?"  
  
_Slap!_  
  
"I loathe difficult people, boy."  
  
There was something grossly gleeful about the way the person seemed to be treating him. Lance could only really feel his head, and the pain was such an intense, all-over sensation that it was all he could do to not black out and collapse.  
  
When his vision finally cleared a bit, he recoiled in shock.

He saw blood. So much of it. It formed a pool at his feet and dripped like a broken sink.

 _Whose was it? His? Wait--_  
  
_Slap!_  
  
This time, to the back of his head, sending his senses reeling in an attempt to keep him centered. Nothing was working right.

 _More icy veins. More soreness. Everything was blurry, it-- it wasn't making sense._  
  
Then, his bayard. For some reason the general had let him keep it, one pinky keeping it from sliding away from him. Gazing at the blade, his mind working slowly and weakly, Lance suddenly remembered Hunk and Pidge. He remembered the paladins, his family, and all the bullshit he had watched everyone go through.

He remembered that they weren’t finished.

He remembered all at once, forceful and heart-wrenching, and with a violent slash, fought his brutal exhaustion just enough to slice at the Galra officer.

Lance let out a primal screech, tears streaming down his face, as if it wasn't enough that he had taken a beating. He was hurting. There was so much pain. It was sickening. It was annoying.

 _God...god, was he tired._  
  
The last thing Lance needed was someone in his way.  
  
With another roar Lance felt a spontaneous, intense rush of energy, breaking the bind that kept him chained to the wall. With a fury he had never felt, he slashed and slashed senselessly at this general, not caring whether or not his swings landed - just that he got himself out.

So this person could get out of his way.

So he could go home.  
  
The general dodged, his expression hardening, but he let Lance struggle to walk a few feet before knocking him with one soft shove. Lance collapsed, his vision whirling. All the energy he had suddenly sapped out of his body as the Galra officer's long white hair dripped into his vision. Blocking the sight of the exit, he smiled with a grin that could curdle blood.  
  
"I just realized, rather shockingly, that I never introduced myself. I am no general. I am Prince Lotor of the Galra Empire, and you will remain here until you answer my questions."  
  
-  
  
"It's Lance. He...he...!" Pidge choked out, her hand weakly reaching for Keith and Shiro. "We need to help him. NOW."  
  
Shiro's eyes were brimming with worry, and he urged Pidge to sit while gazing at the empty cryopods.  
  
"I know."  
  
Pidge looked irritated at the calm answer, but it appeared that she simply allowed her rising temper to fall again.  
  
Hunk was meekly standing off to the side, supported slightly by an equally frazzled Coran, but he said nothing for a moment before he looked up, his expression steely. "Anyone able to track the details on this Galra officer guy? I remember him exactly."  
  
Keith crossed his arms. "Actually, I remember Pidge looking at some sort of identity database this morning. Does that help?"  
  
Pidge looked confused for a moment, but she eventually grinned and stood slowly. "Perfect."  
  
-  
"I was actually looking for who the enemy generals were to see if it would help us narrow down their plans and points of attack. Looks like I was just looking at the wrong people."  
  
"That's him." Hunk finally murmured, hovering near Pidge's desk.  
  
Pidge's tongue was sticking out as she clicked around a few more times, sitting back.  
  
"Well then, we have our culprit, guys."  
  
"Prince of...He's...he's WHO?!" Hunk nearly shouted.  
  
Keith's frown grew deeper. "That means Lance is in the hands one of the most dangerous guys under Zarkon."  
  
"Most likely..." Shiro murmured, his eyebrows furrowed. "We'll need to get moving after these two have gotten to rest."  
  
"It’s fine. I’ve rested enough. This Lotor guy isn't going to win this one." Pidge said coolly, heading towards the hangar.

"We're family now, and we're not losing anyone else."  
  
-  
  
Allura stood quietly at the helm of the castle, her gaze cool. She pressed a few buttons here and there, sending directions to Coran and the paladins as they sat together. "Oh, would someone wake up Keith?"  
  
"It's...fine. It's been a long day."  
  
"Shiro, none of us went to sleep. It's been longer than that."  
  
"...Yep. Yes.”

 _“Shiro!”_  
  
"I have the coordinates. Ready when you are, Pidge."  
  
"Well done, Hunk. Transferring."

  
Hunk grinned and reclined in his seat. "All in a day's work!"  
  
Coran smiled tiredly from where he stood, watching over the chatter of the team as they tracked Lotor's fleet. They were able to use previous empire data to figure out an approximate location, and had spent the past day or so sifting the information. It had certainly taken its toll on the paladins, though, and they were on the verge of nodding off.  
  
"So we're within reach of the location. Everyone go ahead and get some rest."  
  
"And Keith?"  
  
"Leave him be. The chair pods are plenty comfortable. He'll wake up when he's ready. Feel free to retire to your rooms." Allura replied, stepping down and walking away as quietly as she could.  
  
Keith's head shifted a bit, and he let out a soft murmur. The other paladins smiled amongst themselves before going their separate ways for the evening.  
  
And though they slept soundly that night, it would not be long before they would be faced with a challenge that would test them beyond their imaginations.  
  
It was only a matter of time.

-

_“Keith?”_

_Keith was flipping through slides at a breakneck speed in the castle common area. It was very early in the day, and none of the other paladins were awake. With, of course, the exception of Lance, who got up at what Pidge called “the godless hour” in order to complete his morning routine._

_Keith looked up quickly from his research and closed the window. Lance raised his eyebrow in confusion and stepped forward into the low light._

_“What are you doing? It’s 4 AM! Well… by castle clock.”_

_The red paladin stared on, as if calculating how to respond. His face twitched with tiredness and he only managed a shrug._

_“Look, you don’t have to tell me anything if you just go to bed. We need a leader, not a zombie!”_

_Keith actually managed to smile a little at the quip, but his expression turned back to normal almost instantaneously. He shuffled his feet along before hitting a pillar near the door to the hallway._

_Lance was taken aback. The usually serious Keith Kogane was slamming himself into the wall! But since Lance had hardly gotten any sleep, he figured he might be hallucinating._

_Either way, imaginary Keith still probably needed a hand._

_“You need help, buddy?”_

_Lance managed to walk Keith back to his room successfully and sat down on the edge of the bed with a huge yawn._

_“Since we’re here and there’s no one to pop in and interrupt, I’ll let you in on something, Keith hallucination.”_

_Keith, who had somewhat recovered his bearing on their way, stared in irritation at being regarded as an illusion._

_“I’m...worried. About so many things… I really don’t know what to say. Especially to Shiro. He’s been through things I can’t even imagine. And you… you found your mom again, Keith! That’s so huge… But we’re always putting our lives on the line. We didn’t really talk about what it would mean for us to lose someone on the team, even when it felt like it was happening. Will we really be ok? I wanna believe we will, but… I’m more scared than I’m letting on. And I figure you’re a good guy, and I wonder what you’re thinking…”_

_Keith sunk deep into thought, a sympathetic expression on his face. He was too tired to form words, but showed Lance a weary thumbs up._

_Lance stood up quietly, smiling. The bright light from the hallway poured in as he walked towards the door and looked back. “If anything happens, I wanted to say thanks at least once. I’ll get to the others whenever we have time. If I don’t… can you tell them for me? Anyway, night Keithster - I owe you.”_

-

Keith’s head snapped up suddenly, and he squinted from the sight of bright lights overhead. The other paladins were milling casually around the room, chatting. He rubbed his eyes until the blurriness subsided and sighed.

_Funny I’d dream about that now._

“Keith?” Shiro called out from the other end of the room. “You awake?”

Keith nodded and stood up slowly. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Go ahead and get some breakfast. We’ll meet you here in a minute.”

“Yeah.” he murmured, still dazed.

There was a silence in the room as Keith stepped out, and everyone shot each other pointed looks. Keith didn’t tend to be bubbly, but it was definitely strange that he was so lethargic.

“Has he been getting enough sleep?” Hunk wondered aloud, concerned.

“Maybe he’ll come around after he eats something.” Pidge replied. “Sorry Hunk, can you pass me that?”

-

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Keith stumbled a bit as he approached the cabinet. He sighed again and managed to pour himself a protein drink, leaning against the counter in exhaustion. He had been spending late nights looking through information to help the team (and for the sake of his own curiosity). The recent battles had done something to him, and he felt uneasy just sitting around. Between that and sparring with the robots in the castle, he found himself tired nearly constantly.

_How am I supposed to tell them?_

_Do I tell them?_

He took a gulp of his drink as if to wash away the thought and dumped the cup in the sink.

Shiro entered the kitchen after a minute and looked at Keith. “Hey… is everything alright?”

“It’s fine.”

Shiro frowned. “You can tell me if you need to talk about it. You know that.”

Keith simply smiled at him softly and patted his shoulder, exiting without an answer.

-

“We’re approaching the Galra base. Stay sharp!” Shiro called out.

“It’s about time!” Hunk shouted, beginning the prep for landing.

As they approached, the heavy cloud cover made way for a huge base situated atop a ragged mountain. The ships were flitting around the sky, and there were plenty of Galra soldiers milling around on the ground. Skirting around the edge of the mountain pass, the castle parked a good distance away. In a matter of seconds, the team had hopped into their lions and begun the trek.

-

_“You wouldn’t wanna spend an eternity with me?! Is this because of that game show dream, or were you serious?” Lance snapped as the team walked back to their lions._

_“Lance, it’s over already!”_

_“You’re right. But I’m curious since it was right after I said good things about you. That’s cold.” He replied irritably, crossing his arms._

_At that, Keith felt a pang of guilt and paused._

_“Yeah… sorry.”_

_Lance suddenly felt guilty himself. “No… sorry for making things awkward. We’ve been having a hard time. But I couldn’t guess what you were drawing!”_

_Keith’s eyebrow twitched. “You were way off! Our lives were on the line!”_

_“You think I didn’t know that? I was being boiled alive!”_

_After a moment they glanced at each other and laughed. The rest of the team gave them weird looks and stared from a distance._

_“Are they okay?_

_Well, whatever, I guess.”_

-

The idea that Lance could really die was strange to Keith. He was such an intense, boisterous member of the team that Keith forgot he had almost gone out on them twice before. When Lance suddenly opened up to him, Keith spent days with the conversation churning in the back of his mind. And when Lance went missing, it was like the floodgate had opened to Keith’s fears and doubts.

_Were they really going to lose someone today?_

It just hadn’t seemed possible for a while. Everyone who seemed to leave them had always returned. There was some sort of false confidence about it all in his head that Keith was trying stubbornly to deny. He had a feeling it had to do with Lance telling him such cryptic things that day, and shook his head to clear it.

-

_“I told them yesterday…”_

_“...Yes. But are you sure, Lance? You’re a team! A well-oiled machine!”_

_Keith, who was passing by the room, immediately hid next to the doorway out of curiosity._

_Coran flexed his arm, drawing a bright laugh from Lance._

_“Yeah, but… this could go really, really bad. I can’t let them find out. I need to do this.”_

_“I see… but isn’t this what you got at ol Keith for doing?” Coran replied._

_Lance froze, as if realizing the hypocrisy of his decision. But he stiffened once again and gripped his bayard with determination._

_“Just trust me.”_

_-_

_That night, Keith hovered over a critically injured Lance. “What were you thinking?!”_

_Shiro bent down and put a hand on Lance’s shoulder, his expression full of sadness. “Please, Lance. I know a lot has happened, but from now on this team has to stay together.”_

_Lance could not bring himself to respond. His heart was overflowing with shame._

_So instead, he gingerly closed his eyes and let himself be lulled to sleep._

_-_

_“Let him sleep!”_

_“Wha-- let him sleep?”_

_“Don’t say that! Let’s--”_

_When Lance woke up a few minutes later, he felt someone’s arms keeping him propped up. He blinked a few times and found himself face to face with a concerned Keith._

_“You’re awake.”_

_“...Yeah.” Lance looked away, but something about Keith’s aura commanded him to look back over._

_“You can’t keep doing this. It’s not the same as when I went off with the Blades.”_

_“I know.”_

_“So then why--!”_

_Keith started out with a charged, loud voice, but realized how he sounded and went silent._

_Lance gazed on. “I’ve told you before… I’ve never been the most talented one. I know what I’m doing is stupid and crazy! I yelled at you before, but... I think I get it. Sometimes my body just moves. Sometimes I get the feeling..._

_If it’s for family, anything is worth it.”_

_To that, Keith had nothing to say. They sat there in silence._

_Suddenly, his face went red and he blubbered, “Just don’t forget this time. Bonding moment.”_

_With his last word, he put Lance lightly on the floor and hurried out of the room._

_“Wha- Keith?!” Pidge cried out in shock._

_Hunk and Allura hurried over from the side of the room to lift Lance back up and carry him to a cryopod. Shiro held the door open and watched over them._

_Lance, somehow, could only smile._

_-_

After a few minutes of trekking, the group managed to reach the gate of the base. Though security was heavy, a quick-witted Pidge was able to disarm a minor entry gate during a change of the guard.

“Got it! We’re in.” Pidge whispered.

“Truly. Skilled.” Hunk praised, passing through first and giving Pidge a high-five.

Shiro looked at them warmly before following, and Keith and Allura passed through together last.

It was at that moment that Shiro suddenly shoved everyone to the wall. Gunfire rained down on them as they desperately turned a corner behind huge steel storage boxes. The group separated as they began to retaliate, their weapons blazing. In the chaos, Keith made eye contact with Shiro and immediately slipped out of the fight.

Keith snuck into the main gate area while the foot soldiers were busy, breaking into a brisk run down the hall. He sliced down any robot guards that stood in his way, launching himself along and gritting his teeth.

Fighting the urge to just shout out to his teammate when he finally found him, Keith stayed low and watched. His eyes widened when he saw the state Lance was in.

Lance was chained to the wall by his wrists, and he looked far worse than Keith could imagine. His body was limply hanging there, utterly covered in blood. A man with Galra skin and Altean white hair was circling the platform Lance was trapped on, grinning coolly.

_Wait… who is this? Prince Lotor is…?_

“Oh, Lance, wait - it seems someone has joined us.”

Keith jolted at the realization that he had been seen and instantly let loose the anxiety and rage that had been eating at him. He swung out his blade in a flying arc, determined to take the general down, but Lance’s feeble voice piped up nearby. Keith’s blade paused right in front of Lotor, who only continued to smile.

_“Keith… stop.”_

Keith’s moment of hesitation resulted in Lotor taking him down easily to his knees. With his weapon and arm behind his back, Keith could only glare furiously at their captor.

“What do you want?!”

Lotor shrugged. “I only wanted him to show me his Galran side. He refuses. What am I to do except make him?”

Keith, who had not been present for Lance’s grand lie, realized the gravity of the situation quickly. His hand let go of his bayard in shock, and Lotor stepped on his hand, causing Keith to cry out.

“You put up such a pitiful fight. Are you sure you’re a paladin?”

Keith’s expression darkened.

“Let me talk to him!”

Lotor sighed lightly. “Very well. You may.”

Keith stood up in a hurry and put his hands on Lance’s shoulders. “Lance?”

Lance’s eyelids fluttered, and he looked blankly forward. “Keith?”

Keith felt an intense wave of relief. “Yeah. It’s me.”

“Lotor… he’s crazy. Get out of here.”

Lance looked like he was in immense pain, and Keith’s grip loosened.

“I can’t do that.”

 _“Keith…!”_ Lance snapped weakly. But he seemed drained, and after coughing violently, he closed his eyes and went limp. The silence felt deafening.

Whipping out his Galran blade, Keith was overwhelmed with anger.

_“Sorry, but you guessed wrong.”_

-

“What’s all this about? We’re practically the same!” Lotor shouted, his voice bordering on joyous.

Not caring if he was getting baited, Keith slashed and dodged with equal the precision and skill of the Galran prince. He was suddenly very glad for his training as a paladin and as a Blade.

There was an intensity to Keith’s attacks that he had never felt before. Whether or not it was the culmination of all that had happened, he couldn’t tell. But he _needed_ to take this guy down.

“Why would your friend lie for you?”

In a split second, Lotor had Keith pinned to the ground, this time flat on his face. Keith managed to lift his head up, glaring icily above him.

“No idea. Now _get off of me!”_ Keith screamed, whipping his blade up and causing Lotor to lose his balance.

Seeming impressed, Lotor continued to batter Keith with attacks. They kept at it for a long while, but Lotor seemed to know his opponent unfortunately well.

“How do you think your friend feels about it? Your heritage.”

Keith’s attention was once again interrupted, and he barely dodged an attack before breathing heavily on one knee.

Lance had never treated him terribly differently. Though it had surprised him, he often glanced over at Keith in concern when the whole thing was boiling over.

What Lance had said once echoed in his mind as he began another launch at his enemy.

_“You’re still Keith.”_

At this, Keith felt a burst of new energy and managed to land a slashing hit on Lotor, who doubled back and coughed up blood of his own.

“We will _never_ be the same!”

It was at this moment that the other paladins came bursting through the door in a flurry of weapon fire. When they realized the state Lance was in, the urgency seemed to increase, and they managed to convince Lotor to slip back into the shadows.

As they were heading back, Keith seemed to insist that he carry Lance back over. He didn’t speak a word on the way to the lions, but it seemed far more pointed and emotional than his usual silence. The others looked at each other as if wondering how to approach the issue, but didn’t end up pressing further.

“I’m just glad you’re both okay.” Pidge added as they trekked along.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Keith replied, exhaustion evident in his voice. He smiled slightly at their youngest member before returning to gazing at the horizon.

Hunk put a hand on Keith’s shoulder, and the team stayed close together as they returned home.

-

After spending 2 days in the cryopod, Lance was finally released. Because his injuries were more severe than they had been in any previous treatment, he wasn’t able to stay standing when coming out of the chamber. Shiro thankfully managed to catch him on the way down.

Recovering a bit from his stupor with the physical support, Lance glanced in a panic around the room.

“Keith! Where’s Keith?! He--”

Shiro smiled. “He’s upstairs. He’s been sleeping for days himself.”

Lance attempted a run, but of course the black paladin stopped him short.

“No. Rest.”

Lance looked up at him with guilt.

“Sorry to do this, Shiro! You know you’re my hero!”

“Wait, what--?!”

To this Lance flicked Shiro on the forehead with the intensity of a thousand suns. Shiro doubled back and crashed into Pidge and Hunk, sending them into a flurry of confusion. Coran burst into laughter while helping them up, and Lance used the chaos to charge away to Keith’s quarters.

-

Lance came in and sat on the edge of the bed. Keith’s breaths were labored and shallow, and he seemed distressed. It was as if he was having a bad nightmare. Lance wanted to wake him up, but he felt like he would be better off just sitting there and waiting.

He quietly whispered, “Thanks, Keith.”

At the sound of his voice, though, Keith seemed to stir. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. “Lance?”

Lance grinned. “It’s me.”

Keith rolled his eyes, and they both laughed.

“You’re crazier than Lotor! Why did you fight that guy?”

Keith looked confused and annoyed. “Why?! I don’t know why! I just did!”

Lance’s expression was warm. “Thanks again anyway.”

Keith’s face turned red, and he looked away. “Yeah.”

Lance looked conflicted for a minute, and then suddenly very timidly asked, “Hug?”

Keith didn’t reply out loud, but launched himself into the hug without another word. Lance’s own face went red with surprise, but he ended up melting into a smile and returning the hug. He didn’t know what this fuzzy feeling was, but he felt whole in that moment, and he let himself just soak it in.

“They’re bonding!” Pidge’s amused, loud voice suddenly announced from the doorway. The entire team appeared behind her in a flurry of curiosity.

“What? No! Go away!” Lance snapped. But contrary to how he would have acted in the past, he didn’t actually let go of Keith, who had his eyes closed and pointedly ignored the increase in noise.

In a split second the whole team was on the bed in a massive group hug. Keith looked irritable but didn’t stop them, and Lance continued to smile brightly. They burst into peals of laughter and began to have one of their usual boisterous 7-way conversations, shouting and bubbling over with energy.

After a lively dinner their long nights of worry finally came to a close.

And for a moment, the evenings were peaceful once again.


End file.
